Checkin In

I realized I haven't written for awhile to let you know how we're doing. In spite of the cold temperatures, we are doing very well and generally enjoying life. On particularly cold days, people ask if we're missing Seattle's weather. This week, we had two very Seattle-like days of weather, so it provided a good comparison: * Seattle: Hazy gray sky, occasional drizzle, green grass, persistently damp, temps in the 40s * Wheaton: Crisp blue sky, bright shining sun, white snow, bitterly cold 15 degrees It's a little surprising to me that as someone so troubled by the cold, I am preferring the winter here. Sure, Seattle is milder and there is a lot to be said for lovely green grass and things growing year-round. But there is something about the sunshine, blue skies, and lovely white snow that is treating me right. And maybe there's something to be said for the fact that I spent the first 12 years of my life living in Ohio and Michigan. Something about having a true winter like this feels...right. I should also mention that I wear long-underwear and hats everyday. In other news, Seth is still working on a temporary project. We expect it to last for a month, but it may run longer. Even though it is temporary, it's great that he's working and generally enjoying what he's doing. The beginning was stressful as he was expected to do some things he didn't have much experience with, but (no surprise to me) he's met the challenges head-on and the company is very pleased with the results. The job is downtown, so even though he wouldn't want to commute like this long-term, Seth is currently getting a taste of what it means to work in Chicago. I drop him off at the train station in downtown Wheaton, he takes an hour-long train ride downtown, a short bus ride, and a long elevator ride up to an office in a high-rise right by Millennium Park. This experience confirms that he wants to find a job much closer to home. Thankfully, he's now able to work at least one day a week from home. We're not sure if this job could lead to a fulltime position, but we continue to trust God to provide. I'm starting a freelance project for a client in Seattle, so we'll soon both be gainfully employed--at least temporarily. Kitter continues to freeload. Meanwhile, we're enjoying our new life here. It has been SO fun for me to live close to my girlfriends again. I haven't lived in the same city with Stephanie since we were college roommates, and now I get to see her every week! And I've never lived this close to a good friend who has a baby, so I have the extreme pleasure of watching Laura be a wonderful mommy to the cutest sweetheart around, baby Linda Lucille. Seth has a standing Saturday morning breakfast date with Linda and Sean (Linda's dad), so we are both picking up baby skills. We are looking forward to a weekend visit with my parents who will be flying up for my thirtieth birthday on Feb. 9th. Seth tells me that the 30s are even better than the 20s, so I'm looking forward to it. I plan to celebrate my new maturity with a laser tag party followed by a whole glut of desserts. The only downside to my birthday is that it is the expiration date of my driver's license, so guess who has to go take some tests in the next week? Time to study! So, things are good. We continue to appreciate prayers for a full-time job for Seth, insurance coverage for me, and a home church.